Today, national homelessness experts Stacy Horn Koch, Andreanecia Morris and Sam Tsemberis presented the attached report to Metro Council detailing their work to study the homelessness challenges in Nashville.
Mayor John Cooper commented, “Today is a call to action for our entire city to step up and make meaningful progress on helping our unhoused neighbors get back on their feet. I’ve been on the ground in many of the homeless encampments in Nashville, and I’ve seen the suffering and the human toll firsthand. The reality is horrific, tragic and unacceptable. My office initiated today’s report so national experts could help us better understand what is driving the problem here and how we as a city can do a better job addressing it. The results make a number of data-driven recommendations, and I support moving forward with all of them. Last month, I committed Nashville to being a “housing first” city – and made the unprecedented commitment of $50 million from the American Rescue Plan to get it done. Now, we have expert guidance on how to invest those funds in the most effective way possible to tackle chronic homelessness in Nashville. There’s a lot of work to be done by all stakeholders involved, and this won’t be an overnight fix, but this is a huge step forward to end the suffering happening in our streets.”
The study was commissioned by Mayor Cooper late last year and approved by Metro Nashville Council in February, and is the result of 12 weeks of independent research.
Homeless Consultant Report Presentation to Metro Council, May 26, 2022